Culturally Responsive School Leadership: Educational Leaders' Reflections on Equity Behaviors in Predominantly White Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore school leaders’ perceptions regarding behaviors need to lead change for equity in predominantly White suburban schools. The study was carried out by interviewing 14 school leaders in predominantly White suburban schools with public statements in support of equity. The semi-structured interviews were created using the framework of Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL) behaviors identified by Khalifa, Gooden, and Davis (2016) in their synthesis of the literature. Five themes emerged: (1) Communities Divided, (2) Inappropriate and Ineffective use of Data & Feedback, (3) Structural Barriers to Equity, (4) Staff Resistance, and (5) Whiteness Protecting the Status Quo. The author recommends that school leaders focus on three areas to lead toward a more equitable learning environment: (1) Improving community relations by embracing their role as a public intellectual (Khalifa, 2018), countering false narratives, information sharing, and understanding Whiteness, (2) Using data, community feedback, and student voice more effectively by investing in training, countering deficit ideologies with a focus on cultural strengths, taking direction on needed change from historically marginalized groups, equity audits, and tracking racial harm, and (3) Creating more inclusive policies and practices through professional development that is consistent and comprehensive, proactive messaging, CRSL teams for collaborative walkthroughs, and moving away from traditional grading practices to minimize or eliminate subjectivity.